Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and Karnataka IT Minister Priyank Kharge are engaged in a verbal sparring match.
Sarma retaliated by calling the Congress leader a "first class idiot" when he questioned Assam's skill pool. The Assam BJP unit has now fanned the flames by making fun of Kharge with the sly remark, "Hello, Teddy Boy."
After the Karnataka Minister allegedly told a TV channel that semiconductor investments intended for his state were being "arm twisted" by the Center and instead going to Gujarat and Assam, the conflict broke out on Monday.
"Why do semiconductor companies prefer to travel to Bengaluru instead of Assam and Gujarat? "The Central government is manipulating all the investments intended for Karnataka," he asserted.
Himanta Biswa Sarma responded by calling him a "first class idiot" and claiming that the Congress minister's comments were offensive to Assamese youth and educated people.
The Chief Minister further accused the Congress of failing to denounce the minister's "objectionable statement" and stated that his government was thinking of filing a lawsuit against Kharge.
"Look at Teddy Boy claiming credit for a training program offered by a private company! You're just a Karnataka minister, bro. That doesn't mean you own everything in the state. What comes next? A "Thank you" post because Bengaluru's trees are generating oxygen? On X, the Assam BJP wrote.
Kharge said on Monday that Himanta Biswa Sarma was attempting to "whitewash his failures" by giving his remarks a "political spin" and that the Chief Minister ought to consider the reasons why young people are moving out of the northeastern state in search of employment abroad.
Kharge went on to say that the BJP's time in Assam was running out and that the Congress would "focus on skilling, employability, and rebuilding public faith in governance" if it won the state elections in 2026.
"We will create an environment where talent thrives in every corner of the state and young people are free from the grip of corrupt governance and divisive politics of a 3rd rate crook," he stated.
The party responded to the Congress leader's tweet by saying, "Hello Teddy Boy, writing long essays on X doesn't make you a 'semiconductor expert'."
"Maybe look closely at your own neighbourhood instead of lecturing about Assam; your district continues to be the most impoverished in South India. What a waste of your "talent tank," huh? It added.
Pradeep Eshwar, a Congress MLA, denounced Sarma's comments about Kharge and called for an unequivocal apology.
"Himanta Biswa Sarma, I vehemently disagree with your remarks on my IT Minister and the Karnataka people. You ought to request an unconditional apologies from the IT Minister and the citizens of my state. Karnataka's young are represented by the IT Minister. He continued, "You tweeted last year that you were sending about 1,500 young people from Assam to Bengaluru for leadership training.
"Bengaluru has a fantastic talent pool. In IT, we are the best. In startups, we are the best. We are the Silicon Capital of India, the Garden City, the top producer of renewable energy, 43% of Bengaluru's IT exports, the top producer of silk, sandalwood, and 60% of Karnataka's biotech businesses," he continued.
"Compared to other states, our talent pool is superior. Please show respect for Karnataka's youth as we do for Assamese youth. "Please ask my IT Minister and the people of Karnataka for an unconditional apology," he continued.
